West Ridge from Sharkstooth

Overview

Hesperus Mountain is the high point of the La Plata Mountains, west of Durango. Hesperus Mountain is a sacred mountain to the Navajo (Diné) people. If you go, please treat it with respect: stay quiet, stay on durable rock, and leave nothing behind.

From the Sharkstooth trailhead you cross the West Mancos, climb a faint path and rubble to a saddle on the west ridge, and follow the ridge east to the top. It is Class 2+, with a few short cliff bands and lots of loose rock near the summit.

The round trip is about 4.4 miles with 2,480 feet of gain. The ridge east to Lavender Peak and Mount Moss is rough but not technical, and it makes a good loop on a stable day.

Plan of the day

Getting to the trailhead

From Durango, drive west on US 160 to Mancos. At the main signed junction in town, turn right, go about 0.4 mile north, and bear right onto County Road 42. It becomes Forest Road 561 at the national forest line. About 10 miles from town (paved for roughly the first 4) is the junction for Transfer Campground. Go straight 1 mile to the next junction and bear right. In 0.9 mile you pass the Aspen Guard Station turnoff; 0.5 mile beyond it, turn right onto Forest Road 350.

Follow Forest Road 350 about 7 miles east to the Twin Lakes junction and turn right onto Forest Road 346. The last 1.6 miles to the trailhead get rough and slow. Good clearance helps, but 4WD is not needed. Passenger cars can get within about a mile and walk the rest.

Transfer Campground, about halfway in, has around 12 sites, drinking water, a vault toilet and a group site you can reserve. There are primitive spots near Twin Lakes and past them, and you can car camp at the trailhead, though there's little privacy when it's busy.

Next: the route, step by step →

The route

1. 1

   Sharkstooth trailhead 10,935' · 0 mi

   Follow the trail southeast, losing some height, to the river (the North Fork of the West Mancos).

2. 2

   River crossing 10,700' · 0.4 mi

   Cross the river where a wide avalanche path comes down to it, then follow the trail west across the slide path and back into the trees.

3. 3

   Cairns 10,800' · 0.6 mi

   Soon after re-entering the forest, look for a pair of cairns on the left (south). Take a faint path up through wet brush toward Hesperus.

   Watch for: Easy to miss.

4. 4

   Rubble field 11,300' · 1 mi

   The path follows a small drainage for a bit. Leave it to the southwest to get around willows, cross a rubble field, and aim for open ground. Columbine is thick here in season.

5. 5

   West ridge saddle 12,150' · 1.5 mi

   Head a little west of south to a flat part of the west ridge, just under 12,200 feet. The last bit is steep rubble. The tundra ends here.

   Watch for: Steep, loose rubble.

6. 6

   Hesperus summit 13,238' · 2.2 mi

   Climb east up the ridge over small, loose rock. Short cliff bands are easy and fun, and minor ones can be skirted. A climbers' trail now runs along the ridge, mostly below the crest and lower than you might expect. Use it to save effort on the talus.

Getting down

Go back down the west ridge. Watch your footing on the loose rubble below the saddle.

If things go wrong

From the ridge you can descend south into the basin below Hesperus, then traverse west to regain the west ridge.

3D flyover

See the trail on video

Other routes

Every way up Hesperus Mountain we list, with its class.

• Hesperus Mountain West Ridge this routeClass 2+ 4.4 mi